Bon Appétit

A super-easy, no-mixer-needed cookie dough recipe that doesn’t dirty any bowls and leaves plenty of time for the fun stuff—baking, decorating, and eating dough scraps, of course.

People who love black licorice will flip for these assertively flavored candies. They’ll be not-quite-black without the food coloring but still very cool looking.

For a smaller batch and an easier time mixing the cereal, divide the recipe in half (but use an 8x8" pan).

These financiers are moist and nutty from the addition of brown butter and hazelnuts; in this recipe, resting the dough amplifies all of those flavors.

In this recipe, a few textured and vibrant toppings gussy up a tender, buttery, and ultrasimple shortbread.

Known as mendiants in France, these adorned chocolate bites are a holiday tradition.

This ambitious Mallomars-inspired recipe is a project: Make the (wheat-free!) cookie base and top with marshmallow on day one; enrobe in chocolate on day two.

We love the look of the homemade extra-long sprinkles on these whoopie-pie-type cookies, but they take a steady hand and a wealth of patience to shape. Use any store-bought sprinkle in their place.

Both types of tahini should be roughly the same consistency for this halvah recipe—ideally pretty loose and pourable—which makes it easy to marble them. Most black tahini will be great, but Roland and Whole Foods 365 Organic were the best of the white tahini we tested.

Mix equal parts blue with red food dye to make purple.

Mix equal parts yellow and blue food dye to make green.

Natural dyes work best in royal icing or buttercream frosting, not cake batter.

Lots of texture and a range of flavors are brought out of the brussels sprouts by prepping them three ways in this recipe—leaves, raw slices, and sautéed halves.

This classic French preparation makes potatoes taste—and look—amazing. And yes, there's lots of butter involved.

To make this recipe ahead, let the tart cool in pan, then reheat over medium to soften glaze before inverting.

Pleasantly bitter escarole adds balance to a rich vegetarian stew brightened with feta cheese and green Castelvetrano olives.

The best way to tackle this duck recipe is to braise the legs and make the relish in advance, then cook the breasts and crisp the legs on party night.

In this hearty, velvety stew, chicken slowly braises in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and a touch of enriching cocoa powder.

Flouring the fruit in this Bundt cake recipe helps keep it suspended throughout the batter, and using a serrated knife guarantees you won’t squash or shred the slices.

Extra greens and extra cheese make this brunch classic extra-flavorful.